The present invention relates broadly to welding and fire safety; specifically, the present invention relates to a device for attaching a fire extinguisher to a welding tank.
Fire safety is of paramount concern to the welding industry. A welder uses a torch and tank system to apply an open flame to a solid material. The material is heated to a temperature that is high enough to melt the material to form a weld that strengthens a single piece of material or form a bond between two or more separate pieces. It is not always possible to weld in an environment completely devoid of flammable materials. For instance, in an automobile body repair shop, welding is often performed on a vehicle while flammable materials such as plastic components, seats, carpet, etc., are located inside the vehicle. The torch is often used to cut away damaged body panels, and then weld replacement panels onto the vehicle. The heat from the flame can be conducted from the welding area to the inside of the vehicle, thus igniting the flammable materials. Stray sparks from the welding area may also ignite oil or other fluids that have leaked from the vehicle onto the floor of the shop. A welder must carefully watch the area of the welding tip and material being welded, and usually as a result his attention is diverted away from the area where a fire may start. The situation is even more difficult for on-site welding applications. At a construction site or other situation where welding is not being performed in a shop, securing flammable materials is extremely difficult. For example, stray sparks from the welding area may fall onto lumber, paper used in sheetrock materials, or other flammable materials used in most construction jobs.
Prior solutions have required an additional person to watch the area for fire while the welder works. However, this practice is costly and isn""t followed in most cases. Thus, access to fire extinguishers is critical to ensure the safety of any welding operation. In a shop setting, extinguishers are often mounted at known locations throughout the shop. However, for on-site welding applications, the placement of fire extinguishers is less effective, and often a fire extinguisher is left in a truck or job box, or even misplaced. In the on-site case, locating the extinguisher in an emergency can be difficult or impossible.
The time that elapses between the beginning of a fire and its extinguishment is currently unacceptable. For a welder working alone, he first must recognize that a fire has started. He then has to shut off his torch and go to the fire extinguisher""s location, in some cases searching for the extinguisher. The extinguisher must then be removed from its storage, and the welder must return to the fire and extinguish it. Meanwhile, the fire is spreading and causing damage and possibly injury. Thus there is a need to provide a fire extinguisher where the welder is working that allows reliable storage and easy access so that the retrieval time is shorter and incidence of injury and damage is significantly reduced.
The present invention provides an attachment mechanism that fastens a fire extinguisher to a welding tank, thus ensuring a fire extinguisher is stored in a known location that is close to a welder at all times that a torch is being used.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention includes a retainer band that is placed securely around a welding tank. An extinguisher hanger is attached to the retainer band, which is shaped to receive the neck of a fire extinguisher and hold the extinguisher securely in place. Preferably, the retainer band is adjustable to accommodate welding tanks of various diameters. In the preferred embodiment, the retainer band is secured by attaching a male end to a female end, and then adjusting the tension to provide a secure fit around the welding tank. In the preferred embodiment, the extinguisher hanger incorporates a pair of opposed flanges incorporating a graduated or stepped surface, thus providing a press fit of the hanger between the shoulder of an extinguisher bottle and bottom of the nozzle assembly. In a alternative preferred embodiment, the extinguisher can be shaped to present the opposed flanges at an angle with respect to the extinguisher, such that the extinguisher is secured to the extinguisher hanger by gravity. In another alternative embodiment, the extinguisher hanger incorporates a retaining clip made of spring steel, plastic, fiberglass, or other flexible material having sufficient rigidity, that flexes to receive and retain the extinguisher adjacent to the welding tank. A quick release buckle assembly may also be used to secure the extinguisher to the hanger. Also in the preferred embodiment, a utility hook is provided with the retainer band to hold hoses cables or cords that may be used in connection with a welding operation. Also in the preferred embodiment, a utility box is provided with the retainer band that provides storage for small items used in a welding operation, such as welding tips that attach to the torch.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a retaining clamp sized to receive a welding tank may be substituted for the retaining band. The opposed flange extinguishers as described above may be used with this embodiment as well as an opposing retaining clip sized to receive a fire extinguisher. Preferably, the tension of the retaining clamp receiving the welding tank is greater than the tension of the clip receiving the extinguisher, thus allowing the extinguisher to be easily removed from its retaining clip. Alternatively, an embodiment can use quick release buckles on either or both clips to ensure a secure fit to both the tank and the extinguisher.
In another alternative embodiment, the present invention incorporates an integral piece that conforms substantially in shape to the top of a welding tank, wherein the piece has a first aperture with an inner diameter larger than the diameter of a welding tank, and the smaller aperture, opposed to the first aperture, has a sufficient diameter to provide clearance for hose connections at the top of the welding tank, such that the piece may be placed over the top of a welding tank and securely seated against the neck of the welding tank. An extinguisher attachment is provided with the piece, and may utilize the extinguisher hanger, retaining clip, or other mechanism to securing a fire extinguisher.
In another alternative embodiment, the present invention incorporates a flexible frame design that includes a collar that is large enough to fit around the neck of a welding tank yet smaller than the outer diameter of the welding tank, such that the flexible frame is suspended from the neck of the welding bottle. The flexible frame provides a frame that flexes to receive a fire extinguisher and hold it securely to the welding tank.
In a fourth alternative embodiment, the present invention incorporates a holster formed from a cylindrical housing that has an inner diameter sufficient to receive a fire extinguisher and a closed end to support the fire extinguisher. The holster is secured to a welding tank by an attachment that fits over the neck of the welding tank and rests on top of the shoulder of the tank. Preferably, a retaining clamp or retaining band is provided at the bottom of the holster that fastens around the tank.
These features and many other attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in consideration of the drawings, in which: